I am a young Golden Retriever who was a homeless dog, I was moments away from being killed when I was rescued by Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR), given a foster home, then a forever home. I write this blog to inspire other dogs and humans to help find homes for abandoned dogs. My family takes in fosters now and I help homeless dogs find their way to forever homes. Write me at Mogley.retriever@gmail.com

Sunday, November 30, 2008

The humans thought we were playing a practical joke on them. They wanted to know "What did you do with that sweet, quiet Molly that we had as a foster dog?" Overnight Molly went from a timid, shy little lady, to being a wild dog from Borneo. The humans thought we had switched dogs on them as a trick. They checked her tags, they looked at the pictures of her, it looked like the same dog to them, but she sure did not act like the same dog.

When a rescue dog has been through a lot, it takes some time for them to regain trust and come out of their shell. It takes time for them to learn the rules of the new house, and to learn that when Bella and I play, we play loud, lots of growling when we fight, wrestle and play tug-o-war. It takes time to settle in and become members of the family.

It is wonderful when a new foster dog goes from "Tails Down to Tails Up." Suddenly they are home. This morning was a turning point. Usually we all go out early in the morning, then Bella and I run back in through the dog door, leaving Molly standing at the back door looking forlorn. This time she followed us through the dog door and back upstairs where the humans were trying to go back to sleep. Molly does dog doors!

Later we went out again, Molly chased with us through the snow, tumbling and wrestling at full speed. We went back inside and continued the romp inside, making sure no one slept late. The humans checked her tags, sure enough it was the same Molly, but not the same dog. No longer the shy, quiet girl, no longer quietly walking with her tail down.

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The humans told me that it was a good thing GRRR does not charge people to be foster parents. They would pay a large amount to be part of the program. It would max out their credit cards to have this much fun, this much joy, anywhere else. Are you envious? Sign up to adopt a dog or be a foster parent. Thousands of dogs are still in shelters, they have their bags packed and are ready to go home with you. You too can be part of the joy, you too can share the love. You can make a difference in a life!

Friday, November 28, 2008

We took our new foster friend, Molly, to the big dog park today, she had her first taste of running without a leash, without fences, without limits. From an 8' dog run to the 12 mile park is a big step. The park was crowded, there were so many new dogs to meet and things to be sniffed. Below is a picture of Molly playing "Crouching Golden, Hidden Golden" behind a clump of grass.

Molly did very well on her first freedom run. She came when called, unless someone was petting her, then she ignored us until the petting stopped. She did not run in the park, she simply went from one person walking to the next one, being as cute as she could, begging for pets and attention.

She is very much into attention. She says that in her chain link run at the breeders place, she did not get attention. With all of these people who love dogs, simply wandering in the park, she was giving them the opportunity to pet a dog. It was her good deed for the day. She was simply trying to bring some love to the prairie.

I got bored, usually we move along and cover a lot of ground when we are on an expedition. This time we just wandered along the path and went from person to person. Molly was having fun, I was bored. I took off when no one was looking and ran all the way to the river, I jumped in and splashed around, then ran back. I almost made it back before the human even noticed that I was gone. The water dripping gave me away.

We left the park and stopped at a pet store to check Molly's weight. She weighs 50.3 pounds. She sure enjoyed the smells and the excitement of the pet store, more people to pet a dog. When she goes up to a person with her whole body wagging, no one can resist leaning over and petting her.

Back home, Molly suddenly went out the dog door. No one had shown her the door, she just went out after watching me go out. She is a fast learner. She will make someone an extraordinary friend. Help us find her the best home we can, she deserves a loving household and a happy life.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

We have more information on Molly. She came to the rescue from South Dakota. She was rescued along with a male named Marty. Someone had decided he would get rich selling Molly's puppies. The volunteer who picked Molly and Marty up described their living conditions as "a small tin hut with a run that was about 8 feet square." The GRRR freedom squad arrived in response to an advertisement the breeder had run to sell the two Goldens.

Molly said she was dirty, tired and very discouraged. Her puppies had just been taken away and sold. She was facing a very dismal future. The male Golden, Marty, was in equal squalor. His collar was so tight they had to cut it off. Both of them were lacking contact with humans and were confined without exercise.

The volunteer made a stop at a groomer to bathe them before continuing on their way to Denver and Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies. He said they smelled so bad that no cars would even follow them closely. Marty found a home up North, only Molly came on to Denver.

Molly is still pretty shy. She has gone through a lot of stress in the last few days. She needs a day or two to relax. She is showing her true nature, she is a tennis ball hound. She fetches tennis balls and even drops them (sometimes) when she brings them back. She is a cuddle hound, she also thinks she is a lap dog. Any excuse she can find to snuggle. She is trying to make up for her lack of attention, she is making a good effort to be a "Velcro girl". She still has a hard time understanding "treats". She did not know what treats were, she had never received something for good behaviour. At first she just let the treats drop on the ground so I could have them. Finally she tried one, she liked them. Molly has so much to learn, and she is doing so well. No messes in the house, she asks to go out. She loves tennis balls, but does not know what a rawhide chew toy is.

She is going to make someone a wonderful companion. At only two years old, she has many years of happiness ahead of her. Won't you help her find a warm and loving forever home?

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

World, meet Molly. Molly, say hello to the world! Molly is our rescue visitor for the Holiday's. We will foster Molly until we can find her a forever home.

He said he was going to an early business meeting. He came back home with Molly 2, (Molly is staying here, so we have to differentiate them). He also smelled of yet another dog. When I asked him about it he explained that he had given a ride across town to Oakley so that Oakley could spend the Holiday with a real family. I told him I would have liked taking a ride too. He just ignored me. I bet he even let them smell out of my favorite car window.

Molly is a beautiful lady. She is only two years old, but she has already had two litters of puppies. She is still recovering from the last litter. Her former owner thought he could make money selling puppies, they ate more than he thought. Profits were more important to him that this sweet lady, so he turned her over to GRRR. She is nothing but skin, bones and hair now. She needs to rest and eat for herself instead of for her puppies. She does not know what kind of homes the puppies went to, she hopes they found good homes. She still misses them and is a little sad right now.

When she arrived she was overwhelmed by the three of us, we are pretty rowdy. We went out into the back yard and got acquainted in the open space, Molly 2 felt a lot better, she wanted to explore on her own terms. She is used to puppies and to a cage, not people, open space and other dogs. It will take her a while to learn about life in a real home.She likes tennis balls, she is not attracted to other toys. In the first 1/2 hour in the back yard she climbed into the swimming pool and discovered why it is a "no-no". The pool cover is very shaky underfoot when you walk on it, and there is water with ice on it so you get cold and wet. When she climbed out of the pool she ran around for a few minutes and then she jumped into the Koi pond. When she came out of the Koi pond she was dripping. She found out why we don't swim this time of the year. there was a little ice still floating on the water. It was time to get the towels out and dry her off. She is not used to open spaces yet. We all played in the backyard for a while, then we came inside. We had our pictures taken while she learned how to sit for treats.She is a lovely lady with a wonderful dark red coat and very dark muzzel. She is small, so she would make a great friend for someone that has a smaller place. She is going through a lot of change right now. We think she will be great when she settles in. She tried to lick the first cat she met, she thought it was a strange looking puppy. If you are curious, cats don't like to be licked. She wants to play with us, but is still shy. We will take it slow.

We will update you when we get to know her better. She will be here until she is a little stronger, then she will visit the Vet to get spayed. After that, she can be put up for adoption for her forever home. Now is the time to reserve this lady, you can be her forever home if you are willing to wait a few days for her to be ready.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

We had an e-mail from Summer's family. They don't let her use the computer yet so the human has to write. They say that Summer is doing good, she sleeps on the bedroom floor beside the bed, which is the correct place for a Golden to sleep providing a good cushion is provided. They did not say if she gets to eat at the table or if she gets to have her own TV controller. When I get the TV flipper we watch Animal Planet all day long. No football at our house when I have the controller.

We received an e-mail from the rescue, they are asking all foster families to pick up a Golden so that all Golden's can have a warm home over the holidays. We will be making the drive across town to pick up one or two Goldens to share Thanksgiving dinner. Give a Golden a home for the holidays! We do rescue other dogs, not just Goldens, our organization won't say no to anydog.

We did hear good news, Brodie has a forever home. Brodie is the golden that was given sleeping pills and dumped for dead in a field outside of a small town. The human went home and told his family that Brodie had died. When Brodie woke up, he wandered into town. Animal control picked him up, someone recognized Brodie and the officer paid a visit to Brodie's home. Now charges are pending against his former owner and Brodie has a new forever home. Way to go, Brodie! Don't you just love it when a story has a happy ending?

We will let you know when our new foster friends arrive. It will be a wonderful Thanksgiving at our home! You can call your local rescue and have a new friend over to your home, another reason to give thanks in this season of sharing.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

After Summer left for her forever home last afternoon, Bella and I were upset. We always miss someone that is as nice as Summer. Our cousins came by to make us feel better. They thought that a couple of hours of hard rough housing would make us feel better. It worked, we tired ourselves out and slept very well last night. We were worn out and ready to relax. Molly enjoyed socializing with her sisters. She is looking forward to the completion of the fence at her new home so that she can go home again. Below is a picture of all five of us waiting for a treat. I am on the left, then Bella, little Piper, Emma and Molly.

Piper is growing hair. She had a bad case of mange, now that she is in good health, she is growing long hair. She looks like a new dog. Instead of having a very thin, flat coat, she is turning into a longer haired Golden girl, she will look like Emma. Her new coat is growing in unevenly, and she has long hair over most of her body but some parts have not grown out yet, she still looks like she has a flat coat. Give her another month and she will be a beautiful girl.

There are several changes in our routine. We don't get as many good treats now,since the humans learned that we love bread, they give us small pieces of bread for treats. We like the bread, it tastes good and it is not very filling. We even get our pills in a piece of bread. Peanut butter is now a special treat, as are other treats. It is alright with us, the humans have more bread around the house than they have treats anyway. The closet is full of treats, we have to figure out a way to make them hand more out. Do we need to tell them to hurry up and hand out the dog biscuits before they go out of date?

Saturday, November 22, 2008

We have all been very excited. Thursday night someone e-mailed us that they wanted to meet Summer. Today (Saturday) they came by to get acquainted with her. After the pack was locked outside, the people were allowed to get acquainted with Summer, one on one. Then they took Summer for a long walk in the park behind the house.

When they came back it was love at first sight. Summer said they dropped her leash and let her walk along with them, that did it for Summer, they trusted her. The people like to hike in the mountains, that was just more frosting on the dog biscuit for Summer.

In just a few minutes Summer was in the back of the car and she was gone to her new forever home. The human said that they had a large backyard, a nice warm home, and plenty of dog toys.

It was fun sharing our lives and our home with Summer. We are happy for her and her new home. It does leave more room around the bed, Summer always claimed the spot right by the side of the bed where I used to sleep. We also found out that Summer plays fetch pretty good, she is a tennis ball hound after all. For some reason the cats don't seem to be as broken up about her going as we are, that is why we never trust a cat.

Being a foster brother is fun, it is so good to be able to help a dog in need find her way to a new and better life. Some fosters are hard to part with though, Summer was one. We enjoyed her and if no one had taken her, we would have been happy having her stay.

Summer, we send you on in your life with these wishes: May you never see a chain link run again. May you never have to sleep out in the rain or snow again. May you never spend a day without a pat on the head, a scratch under the chin and a tummy rub. May you never have to sleep alone again. May you have all the love and attention that you deserve. You are a very special lady, we will miss you a lot.

Mogley G. Retrieverp.s. We hope they bring her to the Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion parties. It is so much fun to see old friends again.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Summer and I have been working on her Match.com posting for some time. Here is what we have.

Single, mature, Golden Retriever seeks long term relationship with a loving, mature family. What could be better than to spend your golden years with a real Golden?

Statistics: Hair, Golden; Eyes, Dark Brown; Age, 8 years. Lady's don't mention their weight and measurements, but I am on a diet. I have been issued a "Good Cat Companion" certificate by a unanimous vote of three cats at my foster home. The vet gave me a clean bill of health. I am up to date on my shots.

Special interests: I love long walks in the park, snuggling in front of the TV, I don't care if you watch football games, just so we do it together. I enjoy head scratches, ear rubs and tummy tickles. I still like play toys, nice fluffy ones that I can carry with me, chew on and play with.

About me: I am a very loving, gentle, mild mannered lady. I am well house trained, you have no reason to worry about your new carpets or chair cushions. I will not harm your home, I will be a loving addition to it. I don't bark, I don't chase cats, I don't chew on shoes or furniture. I am a fluffy, silk coated Golden girl, my hair is so soft that you can not resist petting me.

I am not one of those super athletic dogs that requires tennis balls thrown or other wild sports. I can jog, but not for long distances. A long walk for me these days is one or two miles at a time. I walk very well on a leash, no pulling and jumping. You will be the envy of the neighborhood when you are seen walking with me.

I am a people dog. I want to lay at your feet and worship you with my eyes. I want you to pet my head when you have had a stressful day. For less than two cups of dog food a day, you can buy love.

When Tom T. Hall sang, "There ain't but three things in life, worth a solitary dime, old dogs and children and watermelon wine." I am the dog he was singing about.

Mogley is watching Summer roll and play.

Visit http://www.goldenrescue.com/ to read my profile and to apply to be my forever home. If you want a well behaved, calm and loving companion, I am the dog for the job.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Molly does not understand the rules of the game. We call it "chasing squirrels", not catching squirrels. She ran after a squirrel and caught it. Then she broke it. By the time the humans had reached her, the squirrel was beyond repair. They thought they could take it to the vets office, but it was too late. They yelled a lot at her, they even called her "Bad Dog". They had to chase Molly to catch her, she was not going to give up her treasure willingly. They did take a picture before they took it away from her. How do you repair a squirrel? Molly does not understand the seriousness of what she did. We have one less squirrel to chase. Luckily there are dozens of them, but we have to be more careful. winter is coming and squirrels have a rough life during the snow and cold season. The humans even put squirrel food out where we can not get to it. Someone will complain that I put a picture of a dead squirrel up on my blog. I look on it as a display of nature's law of "Survival of the Fittest".

Molly said, " When I came face to face with the squirrel I knew it was him or me. It was a fight to the death!"

We are genuinely sorry that we hurt one of our play mates. Still, catching one should qualify us for a spot in the Golden Retriever Hall of Fame. Millions of dogs chase squirrels every day, how many actually catch one? If Molly does win a spot in the Hall of Fame for catching a squirrel, she has promised to nominate me for an "assist". I am the one that kept the squirrel from going to the closest tree, forcing it to run to the further tree where Molly was waiting.

Summer is still waiting for her Forever Home. No one has asked to meet her to give her a forever home. She wants to look her best, so she wants to be brushed regularly. She wants to go for walks so she can lose weight. She is feeling badly, she says it may have something to do with her age. She thinks people do not understand how wonderful older Golden's are.

If you want to help Summer find her home, go to http://www.goldenrescue.com/ and see many wonderful Golden's, and other breeds, that need homes.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Thursday we went to the big open park, Bella, Molly, Summer and I had a good time. Summer is showing us how well she can run and play. The big park is full of other dogs so we made a lot of new friends. Summer was allowed to run without her leash. She stayed close and ran with Bella and I. Molly does not come when called as well so she ended up having to drag her leash so we could catch her.

Summer is learning how to relate to other dogs and people. The first couple of days she was here she would hide when the door bell rang, she would hide when the rest of us began wrestling hard. Now she is playing with toys, running to help us answer the door bell, and joining in our wrestling, at least a little bit. Summer is rapidly moving from visitor to be a member of the pack and a full fledged resident of the house.

She has to take an antibiotic for a few more days. She took her pill with peanut butter for a while, then she bit into the pill, it was very bitter. She stopped taking peanut butter. They switched to wrapping her pill in cheese. When she gets cheese, we all get cheese. Cheese is a much better treat than the peanut butter was. Thank you, Summer, you raised the bar in treats we get.

She is an attention hog, she wants constant petting from the humans. I usually lie beside the chair, just in reach of a hand that hangs down from the chair where I can get petting all evening. Summer has taken over that spot, since she is a visitor and a special friend I have allowed her to take over my spot.

No one has asked to visit her to invite her to move into their home. She needs a forever home, if you can help her find one she would give you a big sloppy Golden kiss. Help us find Summer a new home for Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Above, Summer is looking for her forever home. Help her look by reading her story and sending it to friends.

Wanted, a Forever Home. An 8 year old Golden Retriever with impeccable manners seeks a permanent relationship. Wonderful soft, silky, long hair, dark eyes and an outgoing personality. Seeking a quiet home, Summer promises not to bite the mail man, in fact she promises she will not even bark at him. Summer is proud to have been selected by the resident cats, to receive the "Good HouseCat Seal of Approval". Summer is available to qualified humans only. No dog runs, crates or tie out chains need reply.

After Summers trip to the vet for a check up and then to the beauty salon, she is ready for her public appearance. She has such a wonderful silky coat that your hand wants to linger on her head to enjoy the softness. Summer is currently working hard on losing a few excess pounds, she wants to be back to her squirrel chasing weight by spring. She would welcome someone that will take her for quiet walks on the leash or an occasionally run in the dog park. Summer is mellow, she does not jump up or try to lick. She is housebroken and knows better than to make a mess in the house. Your carpets are safe with her in the house. If you want quiet love and devotion, she is the girl for the job.

The joys of an older golden retriever are that you get all the love, all of the affection, all of the beauty, and all of the loyalty, without having to worry about someone chewing up the shoes, wrecking the living room, or barking at the neighbors. You can't buy love, but you can adopt it. This dignified, loving lady will make a wonderful addition to your home and to your life.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Summer came to our house again today. She is the second rescue dog that we have had this year named Summer. This Summer is a lot more of a rescue than the last Summer. She is 8 years old, and very well behaved. We picked her up from another GRRR volunteer that had brought her in from a rural area up North in Colorado. She had been a product of a broken home. After a divorce, she stayed with the husband who quickly lost interest in her. She spent more than a year in an outdoor run, alone.

Summer arrived so knotted and dirty that we had to give her a quick trim to get rid of some of the bigger balls and knots of hair. Tomorrow she has an early morning appointment with a groomer.

Instead of daily walks and tennis ball chases, she was confined to a lonely run, given food but no attention. She says she feels very dirty and does not want us to put her pictures up on the web until she can get her hair done. We explained that we were hoping to find her a new home, she is still reluctant to be seen in her present condition. I promised that tomorrow we would put up more flattering pictures. When she arrived here she had only a very old collar and a leash that looked like it had never been used. She did not get walks, she did not get brushed. She just got left.

After the stop at the beauty shop tomorrow, she will go to the vet and get a check up. She has a thyroid condition but they stopped buying her medicine over a year ago. Once she is back on her medications and starts walking with the others, she will work on her weight. (Note: The check up revealed that there was no thyroid problem, just too much food, too little excercise.) She says she thinks she is over 100 pounds. After her grooming, she will get to pick out a brand new collar so she can look her best when she meets you.

If you have ever wondered what a gem in the rough looks like, look at Summer. After all she has been through, she still is totally devoted to humans. She is napping on their feet right now. She says she will promise not to run around barking, she will not chew on shoes. She says she will be the best behaved companion you will ever have. She will follow you where ever you go. She will be at your side through thick and thin. She will promise to be a quiet loving companion. She will walk gently on her leash, she will obey you and love you. Go to http://www.goldenrescue.com/ to fill out an application to adopt Summer and give here the best life you can from now on. She deserves a forever home, filled with love. Won't you give it to her?

Below, Summer in the back watches Bella on the left, me in the middle and Molly on the right, look for crumbs from the afternoon treat.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Molly is back with us. Molly is one of my cousin dogs, she lives with the humans daughter and son-in-law. The three dogs, Emma, Piper and Molly stayed with us while they were moving. Their new house is in a golf course community which does not allow fences, instead it offered miles and miles of open space. We thought that sounded great until we learned they were going to put in an underground fence with electric shock collars. No Way! That sounds terribly barbaric.

The electric fence system lasted about two weeks. Emma, Piper and Molly learned the boundaries very quickly. The problem seems to be that the bunny rabbits in the neighborhood do not respect the underground fence. They go running across the lawn, right under our noses. Ask yourself how a self respecting Golden Retriever can allow a bunny rabbit to run across the yard un-challenged?

Molly promptly escorted the rabbitsout of the yard, at a high rate of speed. She could not stop in time for the electric fence, she went right through it, getting shocked, but still chasing the bunny. It took several hours to find her, there was nothing but open space for miles in each direction. After several long evenings were spent looking for Molly, they decided she should return to a place with a fence. Emma and Piper were able to contain themselves and stay in the yard, they just chase the Bunny's to the edge of the lawn and then stop. What makes it even worse is when Molly gets outside of the fence, then she gets shocked when she tries to come home on her own.

What to do now is the question? Until they can figure out a way to keep Molly under control and in the back yard, she will stay with us. It is all right with me, Molly and I run, play and wrestle all day long. Molly does miss her family, she enjoyed Emma and Piper. Until an answer can be found we are having a good time. The bad side of this story is that the bunny's have won for now.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Today Bella and I had to stay home while the humans went off to have fun. They reported back to us about the meeting. They elected new officers to help keep Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) working for the next two years. 345 dogs have been rescued this year, with two months to go. We will easily go past 400 by the end of the year. At any given time 150-300 volunteers are working to receive dogs, assess them, assign them to foster families, screen forever homes and match them to the perfect dog. Thank you letters are written, data bases maintained, health charts and records are filed away, telephone calls answered, health problems treated, dog food delivered, all so that unwanted dogs can have a new and loving forever home. What a team!

After the business meeting, our favorite Veterinarian, Dr. Carpenter, was brought in to talk to the volunteers about dog health. So many dogs go through the system and little is known about their health histories. Many dogs are surrendered because they have a health problem and the owner does not want to bother with helping them. GRRR teaches its foster families so they can respond when a health or behaviour problem develops. The Veterinarian spent several hours giving volunteers and foster parents instruction on how to spot problems, how to respond and how to find help within the GRRR system.

The topics included food, allergic reactions to food, food additives and supplements, diarrhea causes, bowel diseases, food and environmental allergies, and their treatments. Then ear cleaning was covered, one of the more common problems with Golden's. They talked about Thyroid problems, how to spot thyroid imbalances, and when to seek help.

Weight and obesity is a problem with many of the surrender dogs, overfeeding is a response by an inattentive owner that thinks food or treats can replace spending quality time with their dog. How to balance the daily food intake against the activity level was discussed. Many joint problems are caused by over weight conditions. New dogs that enter our care need to have their activity level increased gradually to prevent them from stressing their joints if they have had an inactive life. Joint problems can be caused by genetics, athletic stress or obesity. Of the three causes, the ones the foster family can help prevent are obesity and over stressing. Chasing Frisbees and tennis balls is good exercise, if the activity level is increased slowly.

Dangerous foods were discussed. Foster homes have to be careful that inappropriate foods are not left where they can be reached by a new and very inquisitive house guest. Some of the items that are overlooked are grapes and raisins, chocolate, caffeine, most nuts, anti-freeze in even tiny amounts, and medications. Dogs don't read medication labels very clearly, they often do not follow dosage instructions. It is very easy to confuse your medications with theirs, keep both out of reach.

Foster families were told what to watch for in lumps, bumps, tumors and sores.. Epilepsy and seizures were covered. Worms, parasites, fleas and other problems were discussed.

Gastric Torsion or twisted stomach was discussed, because it can occur rapidly, it was included as part of the discussion of when to seek emergency treatment. If the stomach swells, get help. Check the gums, if they are pale or bluish it is an indication of lack of oxygen or internal bleeding, time to call in the emergency team in either case.

The humans were impressed with the amount of help available to them when they take in a foster dog. They left feeling much better about their ability to respond to a crisis and the amount of help available for the dogs and the families that care for them.

I am still angry that they did not let dogs attend the meeting, my nose told me there had been two dogs there. The humans said the dogs were there to meet prospective families.

I feel good that GRRR cares enough to make sure their foster families and volunteers have received thorough instruction in training and in health care. We don't like being homeless, but it is nice to know that we get the best care we can get on our way to our forever homes.

Thanks, Golden Retriever Rescue, for taking such good care of all of our homeless friends.

You too can help by clicking on the link to the left and leave a donation on pay-pal. So many dogs, so few homes.